<nettime> Fwd: The South and Ameri(kkk)a for Theorists

[Ododita@aol.com]

Dear Alan and Bruce,

I very much appreciate both of your thoughts on the subject of America (or 
"Amerikka" as some prefer to spell it).  I am an African who has lived most 
of my life in the USA (24 years in the midwest, 2 years in New England, 10 
years in New York and now 1 year in the south- in Florida).  Living in the 
northern part of the US, and especially New York has tainted my vision of 
what Ameri(kkk)a is.  I am now experiencing Ameri(kkk)a in a very fresh way 
living here in the South.  I have to say that I am more than shocked and 
amazed at what I am experiencing down here.  All the rascist myths and 
stories told to me about the south really does exist here ("it's 2001 
people!!").  The resignation of the general African American public down here 
in the face of all the (caucassian) secret societies that control business 
and government is upsetting, but very understandable.  Who wants to loose 
their job, get assaulted, or worse (none of these things may ever happen, but 
the possiblity of the abuse of power can lay heavy on the mind, and 
ultimately play a trick on you- it's the concept of 'First World Voodoo').  
This network of power is the very system that helped Bush win/steal the White 
House.

Small example:  I purchased a used BMW recently, and since have been stopped 
3 times by police in the first month of owning this car.  The very first time 
I was stopped was in the first 2 minutes of driving the car off the used-car 
lot to get it inspected before purchasing it!  I called the car dealer and 
told him what happened, that they stopped me because the licence plate tag 
had been expired- the car dealer to his amazement said that he had been 
driving it for months like that without ever being stopped (the used car 
dealer is caucassian).  And it's always the same excuse by the police, "Oh, 
we punched in your plate number wrongly and had another description/driver 
for this car....sorry...."

Poverty in the south is also high-  Culturally, intellectually, and 
economically.  The general food is bad (this is unbelievable); cultural 
institutions lack integrity; old and somewhat exquisite architecture is 
demolished for malls and prefab construction.  Brain-drain is of great 
occurence here as well, since middle-income jobs pay very little when 
compared to the north.  As is typicall, one has to go to more ethnic/rural 
based circumstances to find interesting cultural life, but then you risk your 
life or mental health due to difference (i.e., race and class, unless you are 
of the same race/class situation- yuppies and the poor also don't mix well, 
as we know).

Guilt is play out in an interesting way here.  I think that the abundance of 
churches down here (and I do mean an ABUNDANCE!) might play into balancing an 
unspoken awareness of the great horror and devastations caused by slavery to 
the African American people (and Native American people) by southern 
caucassians.  It is interesting to look into their (southern caucassian) 
faces and imagine/see their ancestry that owned slaves.  Again, it was mostly 
the wealthy plantation owners that owned slaves, but all caucassians 
benefited from the slave-system at that time in Ameri(kkk)an history.  
Actually, this situation is not too far from that of Nazi Germany and the 
horrors of the Holocaust, where some citizenry have absolved their guilt and 
responsibility by saying that at the time they did what they were told, or 
that they didn't personally kill any Jews.  So in the south the people here 
continue to walk like sheep to their baptist ministries, their christian 
churches, and so forth to wash off 200 plus years of sins against humanity.

I don't know how long I'll be living down here, but I am gaining a greater 
insight on Ameri(kkk)a as a whole- Both the good (yes, there is great good 
here too in AmeriCa!), as with the bad.  I think it is best to be critical 
and open to both.  I think Bruce's response has the benefit of time, and 
Alan's preceding comments to sound more diplomatic when it comes to 
discussing the good and the bad of Ammeri(kkk)a.  But I very much admire the 
courage and caring of both Alan and Bruce for stating their very direct 
truths.  Thank you!

-O.D. Odita

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